The Good

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this kit. For the price, this is by far one of the best lightweight canister setups you can buy. Personally, I'm a fan of canister setups. It's efficient and you have control of a flame for boiling water. The most comprable setup to this would be a snow peak titanium cup with an MSR pocket rocket. The snow peak cup, alone, costs around $40, which is more than this entire setup, however, it is lighter at 4.8 oz.My favorite thing about this setup is that it can all be contained within the cup, and it's convience for a solo hiker. The small size of the cup really helps with fuel efficiency when boiling water.\The stove is great. It is about an ounce heavier than the similar MSR Pocket Rocket, but at a fraction of the cost. The added weight can most likely be contributed to the PIEZO starter that is featured on the stove. Once the fuel is turned on, there is a simple button to press to ignite the flame as opposed to trying to fool with a lighter.

The Bad

There are only two things I dislike about the setup, the "foon" (spork) and the lid. The lid is heavy and weighs over 1.5 oz. It isn't as functional as you would want it to be for that weight. In my setup I replaced the lid with a piece of aluminum foil and a tupperware bowl (together weigh < 1 oz. These function as bowl, cup, lid, and measuring cup.The foon is junk. It broke on me the second trip I used it. I invested in a decent titanium spork. The extra weight is worth it to me for the added durability. It could also function as a good splint if needed.

]]>Mon, 20 Aug 2012 19:22:31 GMThttp://backpackersresource.weebly.com/gear-reviews/osprey-exosThrough this website, I only plan on reviewing gear that I have put through serious use. The Osprey Exos 58 is a pack I have owned since it was released in 2009. Since that time, I've put over 200 miles on this pack and used it from sea level to over 12,000 ft. Given that experience, I feel that I can safely give this pack an accurate evaluation.

The Good

Through all those miles and days with the Exos on my back I've done both on and off trail trips. The off trail portions often involved bushwacking through thick willows or lodgepole pine forests in the Rockies and the packs materials have held up very well. The only blemish on the pack was sustained during air travel that resulted in a small tear on one of the water bottle pockets on the side of the pack.During those trips I've had loads ranging from 12-30 lbs in the Exos and it has performed very well. Even with the small hip belt and shoulder harness straps it still fits comfortably and carries the weight well transfering the weight through the hooped stay. The pack is simple, it has a small lid, one large gear area with a seperate sleeve for your water bladder, a stretch mesh pocket on the front for misc. gear, and two zippered pockets on the outside that I have personally never found a use for. The pack holds more than the 58 liters (3500 cubic inches) it is listed at as with Osprey packs, that number is generally only for the main gear storage area. It has held a BV500 Bear Vault without issue and I've had 10 days worth of gear and food within the pack with room to spare.The heaviest load I've carried with my Exos weighed in at just under 45 lbs, or about 10 lbs over anything that it was meant to carry. This load was being used for a conditioning hike in prepartion for a trip to Nepal later this year (October 2012), and was carried over approximately 8 miles. While I wouldn't call the pack comfortable with that heavy a load, it was adequate and did not give me any hot spots or bruising. I had some shoulder fatigue which is to be expected from an ultralight pack with that type of load. Overall, with its intended load range <35lbs, this pack has performed very well, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a multiday pack.

The Bad

Honestly, the only negative I've ever felt with this pack is shoulder fatigue towards the end of long days. With any ultralight pack, functional load lifters are hard to find, and the exos is no different. While it does effectively transfer the majority of the load to your hips, there is still a fair amount of weight that the shoulders must carry, especially when up towards the high end of the packs wieght capability. Given that, if you correctly load the pack, and pay attention to the wieght of your load, you should find that your Exos will carry very well.

Final Verdict

The Osprey Exos is an excellent pack for multiday backpack trips, so long as you have your basewieght under control. It's not a load hauler, but it is a very capable pack with loads less than 35lbs. It's larger than it's specifications, and it's true to it's weight claims, as my medium pack came in at 40.5 oz, .5 oz over advertised weight.